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Species library › Ficus › Ficus cotinifolia
Other Well documented

Ficus cotinifolia

alamo tree

A large fig tree of the seasonally dry tropical forests of Mexico and Central America, from Sinaloa and the Yucatán to Costa Rica. It often begins life on rocks or other trees and sends roots down to cenotes, rivers and groundwater, so it stays green where the forest around it drops its leaves. In cultivation it is grown as a bonsai or a large container fig that wants full sun, heat and a winter dry spell.

Ficus cotinifolia
Photo: Francisco Farriols Sarabia, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry
Light Full sunDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Deciduous and semi-deciduous tropical forest (selva baja caducifolia and selva mediana subcaducifolia), seasonally flooded low forest, dry slopes, riverbanks and pasture mosaics. On the limestone of the Yucatán it roots through rock to cenotes and underground water.

Mexico (Pacific slope from Sinaloa and Jalisco to Oaxaca and Chiapas; Veracruz; Yucatán Peninsula)Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, HondurasNicaragua and Costa Rica (Guanacaste)

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY 4.0 licence, unmodified.